Cork-feeding machine



Aug-. 26, 1930. i N. F. sAvlANo 1,773,857

com: FEEDING MACHINE original Fild ont. 19. 192e sheets-sheet 1 Augl 26, 1930.l

N. F. sAvlANo f CORK FEEDING MACHINE oi'ginal Filed oct. 19, 192 2 sheets-sheet 2 m T N E V m QN v um www NNN mum. .im

N" ATToRNEYs essential thatr machinery of this type be a1"- Patented Aug. 26, 1930 UNITED STATES Nicola I'.y savmno,` or BROOKLYN,- NEW YORK, AssIGNoR- To ermnmszsl concurr,

PATENT onli-*lcs or NEW Yemen. Y.` I

Conn-FDNG MACHINE originar appnatin mea october 1'9, 192s, serien' No. 'y l j 1528. serial! In are parir-ign large quanti-ties of Smau articles,- su'ch as medicalpills or pellets in small containers, such as bottles,- it has been found economical andotherwise desirable to nipley automat-ic packing machinery. VIt is ranged tol perform thepacking operations continuesly and rapidly, and that the niachine be Capable of operating with aminimum amount-of manual attention'.y

With the above and other considerations in mind,y it is proposed in accordance with the present invention to provide a mechanism for continiious'ly and automatically arrangf ing bottle corks or stoppes i-n a predeterruinedV relationl and feeding them to a bottle corking mechanism with their large ends uppermost, thusavoiding the necessity of a iranual operation infarrang'ingthe corks.

' This application isa division of my' cof pending applicatioinSerial No. 142,537, filed October '19, 1926.v The cork arranging andl feeding rine'c'hanisni of the ypresent invention is preferably employed-with suitable apparatu'sf for autmnaticall-yy inserting corks in bottles. f In'nnother divisionalv application, Serial No. 292,260, filed vJuly 412, 1928, a b o'tg tle corling machine inconnec'tion with which the corl' arranging apparatus of the f present *invention may be employed has been de"- In describing" the invention in detail, ref' erence will be made tok the accompanying drawings, inwhich, f

Figure 1 is a sideelevation'of the cork arranging and'feeding mechanism;

Fig. 2 is asec'tional View taken along'the. line 2 12 of Fig. 1 and `viewedI in the direc-l tion ofthe arrows Fig. 3 isv a sectional view taken along the line 3``3of Fig. 2 and viewed in the direction of thev ar'rdws;

ig. 4y is an enlarged sectional View of the cork feeding mechanism;

Figs: 5 arid 6 are respectively' seetins'y 142,537.' kDivided and this appiicatnm filed- :riy' 12,

No. 292,257. taken along the' lines 5 -5 and 6 6 of Fig.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged View of one of the y cork vretaining plungers Fig. 8 1s a plan View of the cork arranging tongue j and Fig. 9 is aI View of the under side'of the rceiving end ofthe cork feedftube.l

l Referring to the drawings, the cork feed-'i ing apparatus ofthe 'present invention is carried by a suitable platform or table 216,

preferably supported above the corking apparatus `by. the supports 21, 217 and 218. Two parallel plates 219 and 220 aresiiitably secured to the' upperv surface of the platform 216,th`ese platesy carrying two parallel horizontal shafts v221 and 222 journaled therein. The shaft 221 carries two spaced drums 223 and 224 fixed thereto and a gear 225betw`een these drums, the gear 225 being free to notate on the shaft. `rA shaft 222 is journaled in the blocks 226, the horizontal position of this' shaft being adjust-able by means of the set `screwsj227 to vary the distance between theV shafts 221 and 222. The shaft 222`car'ries two drums 228 yand 229 disposed in alignment with they drums 223r and 224 on the shaft 221. Two parallel endless belts` 230 and 231 are carried respectivelyby the valigned pairs of drums 223, 228, and 224, 229, these belts being spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the smallest diameter and slightly less than the largest diameter of the eorks used; The belts-230 `and 231 are held in this relationby grooves' formed in two oppositely disposed blocks 232 and 233v carried respectively by the plates' 219 and 220 and overhanging the upper surfaces of the drums; The blocks 232 and 233 are cutaway at an angle on their in; Iiery faces to form a downwardly converging hannel lor groove 234 as'y clearlyshown in 224, 228 and 229 are driven by a gear235 fixed to this shaft, andthe gear 225 between The'shsf't 221 together with the drums 223 a electric motor 263.

from the gear 235 through a pinion 240, fixed to this shaft and passing through an opening 241 in the platform 216.

A cork container or hopper 242 is supported above the plates 219 and 220 by three Vertical supports 243, 244 and 245, which supports are fixed to a frame 246 carried on top of the block 233 as shown in Fig. 4. The hopper 242 has a. large central opening 247 in the base thereof.l into which extends a vertical tube or pipe 248, fixed to the frame 246 by the set screw 249 and having its lower opening 250 directly over the groove 234 between the guide blocks 232 and 233. The space between the tube 248 and the walls the opening 247 in the hopper 242 is occupied by the enlarged upper end of a movable sleeve member 251 which is slidably mounted on the tube 248 and in the opening 247.

The sleeve 251 is continuously reciprocated up and down through a short distance of travel by means of a crank 252 carried by a shaft. 253, a connecting rod or link 254 being suitably pivotally connected between the crank 252 and the sleeve 251 as shown in Fi g.

4. The shaft 253 carries a sprocket wheel 255 fixed to the outer end thereof, and also carries a small gear 256 engaging a large gear wheel 257. The gear wheel 257 is mounted on a shaft 258 to which is fixed a pinion 259, engaging the gear 235 on the shaft 221. The sprocket wheel 255 is driven through a chain 260 and a gear and pinion 261 and 262 from a suitable source of power such as the small In this manner all the moving parts of the cork arranging and feeding mechanism are driven in synchronism from the motor 263.

Two pairs of horizontally disposed cork retaining plungers 265 extending through two pairs of aligned oppositely disposed openings near the lower end oi the tube 248, these plungers being slidably carried in caps 266 which in turn are slidably mounted in cylindrical openings 267 in a block 268. The vertical distance between the pairs of plungers 265 is arranged to be greaterv than the height of a single cork C and less than the height of two such corks disposed one above the other. Each ot the caps 266 is biased toward its retracted position by a spring 269, and each plunger' 265 is secured within its cap by a pin 270 disposed in a slot 271 in the cap, a spring 272 normally retaining the plunger in the extended position as clearly shown in Fig. 7. Two vertical cylindrical openings 273 andV 274 are provided in the block 268, these openings communicating with the ends ot the openings 267 from which the ends of the sleeves 266 normally protrude.

A pair of vertical rods 275 and 276, fixed to the extensions 277 and 278 respectively on the movable sleeve 251, extend respectively into the openings 273 and 274, these rods being provided with the cut away cam surfaces 279 and 280 which engage the ends of the caps 266 as shown. As the sleeve 251 moves up and down, the cani surfaces 279 and 280 alternately move the upper and lower pair of plungers 265 into the tube 254, thus dropping one cork at a time 'from a tube into the groove 234, and on tothe belts 23 and 231.

A curved guide member 281 of substantially U-shaped cross section is pivoted to a fixed block 311 and extends substantially parallel to the periphery of the drums 223 and 224- and the gear 225 as shown in Fig. 4. This guide member 281 carries a cork arranging tongue 282 on one end thereof, the tongue having a curved free end as shown in Fig. 8, and extending into the groove 234 over the belts 230 and 231. The cork feed tube 103 passes through an opening in the plate 216 and is suitably rigidly fixed thereto, the upper end of this feed tube being curved into close prox- ,i

imity with the peripheral edge of the gear 225. An adjusting screw 283, threaded into the guide member 281 engages the upper end of the feed tube 103, the guide 281 together with the tongue 282' being firmly pressed against ,f

the feed tube by the spring 284.

The teeth of the gear 225 are cut away at their ends to form a peripheral groove 285 in this gear as shown in Fig. 6. The end of the feed tube 103 is cut away as shown in Fig. 9, and is provided with an integral iinger or extension 286 which lies in the peripheral groove 285. It is evident that the position of the guide member 281 relative to the feed tube 103, and the tongue 282 relative to the belts 230 and 231, may be readily adjusted by manipulation of the set screw 283.

In operation, the hopper 242' is filled with corks which are agitated by the upper end of the reciprocating sleeve 251 and thus fed into the upper end of the tube 248. The corks are retained by the plungers 265, and are dropped one by one thereby as the plungers are alternately moved in and out of the tube 254. It should be observed that if a pair of plungers 265 should catch a cork between them, the springs 272 will give and the plungers will slide backward into their caps 266, thus avoiding the mutilation of the corks. The corks are then dropped into the groove 234 and are carried along in the direction of the arrow by the belts 230 and 231. The corks fall on to these belts in various positions, and as they are moved under the tongue 282, they are pushed over by this tongue and swung to a position in which their tapered small ends hang downward between the belts, their enlarged ends being caught and held between these belts as best shown in Fig. 5. The corks are then carried under the guide member 281 and over the peripheral edge of the gear 225, and since this gear is rotating at a higher speed than the drums 223 and 224 and the belts carried thereby, the teeth 287 of the gear engage the depending small ends of the corks i ne Substantially paraneiwah the belts withv and swing them into a position in which they their small ends leading. In this position, the corks are picked out from between the belts Q30 and 231 by the finger 286, and are guided thereby into the cork feed tube 103, through j which they are fed to the corking mechanism ard inserted in the filled bottles as described a ove.

The present invention has been described in connection with a single specific machine, and it should be clearly understood that the invention is not limited to the exact mechanical details or expedients shown, and that cer tain modifications, changes and omissions may be made in the machine withoutdeparting from the scopeof the invention as dened in the appended claims. f

I'claim: Y f

1. A cork arranging mechanism for bottle corking machine comprising a cork container, a plurality of horizontally moving belts beneath said container, means for feed- '.ing corks one by'one from said container f into engagement with said belts, means adjacent to and below said belts and moving at a higher rate of speed than Vsaid belts for arranging said corks in a predetermined relation along said belts, and means for receiving said corks from said belts in said predetermined relation. n Y Y 2. A cork arranging mechanism` for ar` ranging tapered corks in a predetermined arrangement comprising a cork container, a

i. pair of spaced horizontal belts beneath said container, means for dropping said 'corks from said container-to the space between said belts, means for moving said belts at a predetermined velocity, and means extending bet-Ween said belts and moving at a higher velocity than said belts for arranging said corks along said belts with theirv small ends leading.

3. A 'cork arranging mechanism for arranging corks in a predetermined relation comprising a pair of spaced parallel belts, disposed horizontally and moving at a predetermined velocity, means for feeding corks to the space between said belts, rotary means having portions thereof extending between said belts and moving at ay higher velocity lthan said belts for arranging said corks in a predetermined relation between said belts,

and means for receiving said corks yin said relation .from said belts.

4. A cork arranging mechanism for arranging tapered bottle corks in a predetermined relation comprising a cork container, a tube extending into said container at the lower end thereof, means for agitating the corks in said container to drop them through said tube, a pair of horizontal parallel kbelts adjacent the lower end of said tube, said belts eing spaced apart a distance vless than the largest diameter of said corks, means for small ends are leading.

this relation from said belts.

continuously moving said belts, and means extending between said belts and moving at a higher velocity than said belts for engaging the small endsl of said corks and swing-` ing. said corksto ay position in which their 5. A cork arranging mechanism for arranging tapered bottle corks in a predetero mined relation comprising a pair of parallel horizontal belts spaced apart a distance'less than the diameter ofthe large ends of the'corks and greater than ythe diameter of the small ends thereof, guide blocks for maintaining said belts in this mined relation comprising a pair of horizontally disposed parallel belts spaced apartk a distance less than the diameter of the large end and greater than the diameter Vof the small end of the corks to be arranged, means for dropping the corks one by one between said belts, means for moving said belts at a predetermined velocity, a tongue extending over the space 'between said belts for forcing the small ends of said corks between said belts, a rotary means extending'between said belts and moving at a higher velocity than said belts for swinging said corks to a position in which their small ends are leading,`

anda feed tube for receiving said corks inl l kIn testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

Y 1 NICOLA F; sAvIANo. 

